Parmesan pasta with sausage

I think I first started doing this when trying to make an easy substitute for alfredo sauce.  It's one of our favorites and great for left over lunches for the rest of the week.  The make or break for this recipe is a really good steak seasoning.  The one I have has whole grains of pepper kernals, whole seeds, and actual red pepper flakes that hydrate really well in the butter/cheese mixture.  My mom gives it to me as a stocking stuffer every year.  She gets it from the dollar store.

Ingredients:
16 oz bag of pasta
2 tbs margarine
3/4 cup parmesan cheese (or any shaker cheese)
2 links italian sausage
Steak seasoning, garlic to taste (I use a lot)

Direction:
1. In a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta until soft to the bite.
2. In another pot of boiling water, cook sausage links for 10 minutes, then transfer to frying pan to brown the exterior.  Cube sausage once cooked.

3. Immediately once pasta is cooked, strain and transfer to a large mixing bowl.  Add margarine and mix until melted margarine coats pasta evenly.  Fold in parmesan cheese, steak seasoning and garlic.  The cheese will melt into the butter with the heat of the pasta and become stringy.

4. Once sauce evenly coats all pasta, add cubed sausage, mixing evenly.
5. Serve with vegatable. Possibly this one.

Serves:
6-8 people, or 2 people and lunch left overs for a week.

Time to table:
20-25 mintues

Have a picnic

Sometimes the best family dinners come with a theme.  The great thing about picnic food is that they can be packed up easily and eaten outside.  It's a perfect way to usher in the first really beautiful spring day of the year.

Simple directions: Chicken salad sandwiches, deviled eggs, and fruit of season.

Ingredients:
Bread Slices
Tomato Slices
Cheddar Cheese Slices
1 Cooked chicken breast
2-3 Tbs mayonase
Salt, Pepper, Garlic, mustard to taste.

6 hard boiled eggs
1 tsp mustard
2.5 Tbs mayonase
3 drops tobasco sauce
Salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Shred chicken breast.  Mix in mayonase, salt, pepper, and garlic to make chicken salad.  Assemble sandwiches with remaining ingredients.
2. Peel boiled eggs and slice in half long ways, keeping egg whites in tact.
3. Remove egg yolks into small mixing bowl.  Add mustard, mayonase, tobasco sauce, salt, and pepper and mix with hand mixer until smoothe.
4. Re-fill egg white divet with egg yolk mixture.

Serves:
3-4 adults

Time to table:
20 mintues

Beans, rice, and then some

This was created when I had a avocado, but no tortillas or chips.  This may look too simple for a good dinner, but the corn is an almost cowboy caviar, and the rice includes citrus zest and honey.  It ended up working suprizingly well and was an easy to make, light meal for an evening. 

Simplified version: Beans, rice, and corn, all gussied up.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup uncooked white rice
1 tsp orange zest
1 Tbs honey

1 12.5 ounce can of corn
1 medium avocado
1/2 roma tomato
dill and parsley to taste

1/2 can refried beans
1 1/2 Tbs vegetable oil
Cumin and Chili Powder to taste

Directions:
1. Boil 1 1/2 cups water with honey and orange zest.  Once in a rolling boil, add 3/4 cup uncooked white rice, reduce heat to low, cover and sit for 20-25 minutes until rice grains are fully cooked.
2. Cube avocado and tomato.  Mix corn, avocado, and tomato in a medium bown.  Add dill and parsley to mix, adding olive oil or butter to taste if extra liquid is needed.
3.  Heat vegatable oil in frying pan on medium heat.  Add refried beans, mixing oil into beans.  Add cumin and chili powder and mix.

Serves:
2 large, adult portions.

Time to table:
25 minutes

Basic Green Salad

If all else fails, Salad.  I eat this when I feel I haven't eaten anything but junk all day.  This generally makes me feel better about myself.  I don't think a recipe is really necessary, but I will supply one anyway.  It entertains me.

General overview:
Salad with garlic bread and fruit of season.

Ingredients:
6 cups Romaine Lettuce
1/2 cup fresh tomato, cubed
1 large carrot
Ranch dressing to taste
2 boiled eggs

Directions:
1. Soak lettuce in chilled water to add crunch.
2. Boil water, add eggs, remove after 10 minutes.
3. Snip lettuce with cooking shears into bite sized pieces
4. Use a potato peeler to peel the carrot into thin slices.
5. Mix carrot and lettuce, adding ranch to taste.
6. Peel boiled eggs, dice.
7. Divide lettuce/carrot onto two plates, add tomato equally. 
8. Add one egg to each salad.
9. Garnish with fruit of season and garlic bread to complete the meal.

This can also be made with any protein you might like to add.  Here's another example of the same thing with lemon pepper chicken.

Serves:
2 adults

Time to table:
15 minutes

Pigs in a blanket

My husband's fanatical love for this dish has turned my occasional love of this item at baby showers and bachelorette partiers into a regular feast.  Note: the secret to fantastic pigs in a blanket is the quality of hot dog you buy.  After experiencing the dogs they have at Costco I am entirely ruined for the 49 cent packages sold in most grocery stores.  Not hard to make these ones, but this blog is for sharing ideas for tapped out brains, not gormet recipes to spend all day on.

Ingredients:

Dough (yet again, I use the dough resulting from the basic white bread recipe on my bread maker.  Any dough that you usually use for rolls or bread will do. Some common ones are rhodes rolls, or pillsbury pop biscuits)

Hot Dogs (I use BAR S Polish Sausage dogs.)
Cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. After first rise (if using bread maker dough) cut dough into roll sized wedges. (A large loaf recipe should leave enough for 16-18 rolls.)

2. Cut hot dogs in half.
3. Slice cheddar cheese in to strips equal to the length of your halved hot dogs.

4. Wrap one halved hot dog and one cheese strip in dough wedge, making sure that the dough completely connects on the far side.  Repeat until you run out of dough or hot dogs.

5. Follow baking directions on dough package to cook (With bread maker dough it's usually 15 minutes at 350 degrees fahrenheit.)

Serves: A LOT.

Time to table:
30 minutes

Breakfast For Dinner: Cinnamon Rolls

Not gonna lie, this one, the way I made it, is a time commitment.  But it's a DELICIOUS time commitment.  A time commitment that is reminiscent of Christmas Morning and better than Cinnabon moments.  I can't make this one without thinking of my Mom.  Mom, I aspire to your greatness.

(Measurements for this recipe are given in relative descriptions as the size of your dough recipe may be different)

Whole meal:
Cinnamon rolls, eggs, and bacon.

Ingredients:
Dough (I make the basic white bread recipe from my bread machine, but any dough you might have around: mash together some pop biscuits, rhodes rolls, whatever you consider "fresh bread" in it's dough form)
Melted Butter/Margarine
Brown Sugar
Cinnamon

Frosting Ingredients:
2 tbs butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tbs milk

Directions:
1. After first rise and rest, roll out dough into one large squarish shape roughly 1/4 inch thick.
2. Spread melted butter across rolled out dough.  Use enough to wet the entire surface of the dough generously.
3. Spread brown sugar across surface of rolled dough.  Unpacked brown sugar should thickly cover the surface, in a thickness of about 1/2 centemeter.
4. Sprinkle cinnamon on top of brown sugar, all surface should appear cinnamon colored without piling.
5. Taking one of the longest ends as a single unit, roll the flat surface into itself to make a spiral shape.  Final product should be cylindrical
6. Cut cinnamon dough spiral into coins, roughly 1 1/4 inch thick. 
7.  Lay the coins spiral side up in a greased cake pan with each roll 1 inch apart.
8.  Allow 30-45 minutes for rolls to rise.
9. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-30 minutes (or until golden brown on top)

10. Mix together all frosting ingredients with hand mixer until silky.  When rolls are finished baking, spread frosting across rolls while still warm.

Cook time:
All Evening

Servings: 1 batch from the bread maker yields 20 rolls.  Serve with eggs and bacon.

Lemon Pepper Green Beans

These are a great option to have on the side of any meal.  They make me feel healthy when I've prepared an otherwise unhealthy meal.  The original recipe I found online called for lemon zest, shalots and pepper.  For those of us who don't keep that many fresh ingredients on us at all times, I made a fast and easy version with lemon pepper and I use it all the more regularly for that reason. 

Ingredients:
1/2 Tbs butter/margarine
a 4-inch diameter grip of fresh French Style Green Beans ("garden beans")
2 tsp lemon pepper (more or less to taste)

Directions:
1. On low heat, melt butter in skillet.
2. Add green beans to skillet, stirring to coat them with the melted butter.
3. Pour in lemon pepper while mixing, evenly coating beans with the spice.
4. Cover on low heat for 3-5 minutes. 
5. Remove from heat and serve when beans are bright green in color and still firm.

Servings: 3-4

Cook time:
5-10 minutes (if you include the preparing of the beans--snipping off dead ends)

Home made "Macaroni and Cheese"

Or, more accurately, Pasta in Cheddar Cheese sauce with polish sausage.  Another fun "cream sauce" recipe.  Interesting fact: Pasta is made in different shapes so you can decide how you want it to interact with the sauce you put on it.  I REALLY love this sauce, so I get shells that will hold extra bunches of cheesey sauce in it's natural bowl.

Simplified instructions: Cream Sauce and cheddar cheese mixed with pasta and hot dogs.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter/margarine
1/3 cup flour
3 cups milk
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 16 oz bag pasta cooked pasta
3 Bar S Polish Sausage Hot Dogs cooked (I usually fry them for the brown on the outside)
       -Any hot dogs can be used to make this more accessible to those who don't buy this brand of hot dogs in bulk, or a ham steak from the grocery store if you want to dress it up a little extra.

Directions:
1. Melt butter in frying pan on low.  Melt, not bubble.
2. Add flour 1 Tbs at a time, mixing it into the butter until evenly distributed.
(I generally mix it in with a spatula)
Butter/Flour mixture should be doughey. 
3 . Add milk one cup at a time, mixing constantly to eliminate lumps before adding the next cup.
(My mom had the skills to use a whisk.  My white sauces were never really lump-free until I started to use a hand mixer to mix it all.  Hense the cast-iron skillet.)
4.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Be generous.  The white sauce should taste delicious all by itself.
5.  Add Cheddar Cheese to warm mixture, stirring until cheese melts, turing cream sauce a pleasing deep yellow.
6.  Cube polish sausage dogs into centemeter pieces and stir into the sauce.
7.  Stir cooked pasta into cheese/sausage dog mix until all pasta is evenly coated with sauce.
8.  If desired put frying pan directly into oven on broil for 3 minutes to brown and add crunch.

Servings:
6 full adults, or a family of 4 with 4 left over lunches.

Cook Time:
30 Min (including cooking pasta and dogs as prep time)

Home Made Lunches

Another benefit of making dinner is left overs for the next day.  I write this as I munch on a left over quesodilla from my last post.  I'm re-posting the story of a friend of mine who is a fellow dinner-maker and I find that I LOVE her story.

"Apparently, a couple of my husband's work friends LOVE ME without ever having met me.  Why, you ask...  because my husband always has good, homemade meals for lunch.  One of them said his meals were more than just good, they were pretty much gourmet!

I have to admit, this made me feel good, but I didn't think I was doing anything special.  Truthfully, all I do is cook a little extra for dinner and package it up for his lunch the next day.  Actually, I don't even package it, he does.  I don't think I cook extra special dinners, or gourmet anything...

The only obvious conclusion I draw from this is homemade lunches are out of style.

My husband said that most people go out to eat or bring a frozen meal every day for lunch.  This leads me to wonder if people even eat a homemade dinner (because if they did, wouldn't they have leftovers?).

Maybe, just like sewing has become a lost art, cooking is going out of style as well.  How sad would that be? 

I am making a promise right now, that my children (even the boys) will know how to cook a decent meal.  Eating out is just too expensive.


Curiosity Research:
The average American eats 4.8 meals per week in restaurants (dine-in and carry-out), with the most popular meal being lunch at 2.6 meals eaten on average each week.

Americans Spend A Stupid Amount On Coffee & Lunch Every Year
A new survey from Accounting Principals' reveals that the average American worker spends over $1,000 a year of coffee, plus another $2,000 a year on lunch out.

How Much Money Can You Save by NOT Eating Out?
It costs about $25 for a family of four to buy a meal at a typical fast food restaurant. Averaging just two trips per week totals $50; continuing the pattern each week over the course of a full year comes to $2600.

A daily fast food lunch runs at least $5; in a typical five day work week, that’s $25. Over the course of a year, $1300. Just for lunch. Just for one person. How many people in your household might be doing that?

At mid-priced restaurants—Appleby’s, Ruby Tuesday, etc–$40 for a couple is pretty standard. Done weekly over the course of a year exceeds $2000. For a family of four it double to $4000. That’s starting to look like an annual grocery budget for a typical family, and all we’ve satisfied is one meal per week.

Some households eat dinner out two or three times per week, so we can multiply accordingly and see that thousands of dollars can be spent with little effort or concern.

Quesodilla and sides

Some of the best family dinners are simple.  This post is less to share a recipe than to give a little idea that might be just perfect for what food mood you want to be in tonight.  Many of the ingredients are just what I happened to have on hand and are interchangeable with other ingredients of your choice.

Simple directions: Cheese quesodilla, beans, salsa, sour cream, and fruit salad.

Ingredients:

Flour Tortillas
Cheddar Cheese
Refried Beans
Salsa
Sour Cream
Canteloupe
Banana
Yogurt

Directions:
1. Layer sliced or grated cheese on tortilla as desired.  Place another tortilla on top of cheese layer.
2. Place tortillas and cheese on cast iron skillet set at low/medium heat.
3. Brown to desired crispness, repeat on other side.
4. Microwave refried beans, set beans, salsa, and sour cream on plate.
5. Cube 1/4 cantelope, slice 1 banana.  Add to a bowl and mix in 3/4 cup yogurt.

Here's another version.  Different melon, different side.  This one is a chopped avocado mixed with bottled salsa and salt.  De-lectable!

Serving size:
As many quesodillas as you want to make.

Prep Time:
15 minutes to feed 3.

Pear Spinach Salad

Simple, few ingredient salad with a rich taste.  I made this one after getting a massage from a super granola masseuse who masterfully guilted me into eating healthier so I wouldn't need so many massages.

Ingredients:

4 cups fresh Spinach

1 hard pear

1 slice purple onion

1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbs red vinegar (red wine, pomegranite, just not white)

1/8 tsp dill

Directions

1. Cut spinach into fork sized pieces. (I prefer to use food scissors).  Add to mixing bowl.

2. Cut purple onion slice into quarters, mix into spinach

3. Mix olive oil and red vinegar.  Add dill, mix again. Pour over spinach and mix until leaves are evenly coated.  Distribute spinach and onions evenly onto dinner plates.

3. Core pear, cut into cubes.  Layer on top of spinach onions.

Add orange garnish.

Makes 2 servings

Prep time:

15 minutes

Peaches and toast

A family favorite of my husband's, I have learned to love this meal too.  A great one when you've had a big lunch and want a light and fast dinner.

Ingredients:
1 16-oz can of peaches
1/2 cup cottage cheese
Cinnamon to taste
2 slices Home Made bread
Peanut butter and Jelly as desired

Directions:
1. Pour can of peaches into bowl.
   (I like to warm my peaches in the microwave for a minute.  My husband likes his cold)
2. Add 1/2 cup cottage cheese.
3. Sprinkle one pinch cinnamon on top of cottage cheese.

Make PB&J toast on the side.

Serves 1 if you're me or my husband. Multiply according to guests.

Prep Time:
5 Minutes

Easy Soft Tacos

This was the lucky result of a bunch of free ingredients left over from a lunch at work.  Took me 10 minutes to make with the right ingredients.

Ingredients:
1 bag salad
1 16-oz can refried beans
1/3 cup cheese (grated)
1 package small flour tortillas
Salsa, as desired
Sour Cream, as desired
Ranch Dressing, as desired
Guacamole, as desired

Directions:
1. Open can of re-fried beans, microwave them for 1 1/2 minutes on high in a microwave safe dish.
2. Smear sour cream, guacamole, and refried beans on tortillas as desired.
3.  Top with cheese and salsa
4. Open bag salad, add a handful of lettuce to the top of each soft taco.  Mix the rest with Ranch Dressing and serve on the side.

Serves:
5-7 adults (If you're me, 4)

Time to Table: 10 minutes.

Creamed Eggs on Toast

Most often used as a way to use mass quantities of boiled eggs after Easter, my brother used to call this delectable family favorite "Egg Stuff," therefore making it a fun favorite for the kids to request with it's silly name.

Simplified instructions: Cream Sauce and boiled eggs on toast.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter/margarine
1/3 cup flour
3 cups milk
1 slice onion (if desired)
Salt and Pepper to taste
4 hard boiled eggs
Toast.

Directions:
1. Melt butter in frying pan on low.  Melt, not bubble.
     -If you choose to use the onions, dice them and sautee in butter before adding flour.
(I prefer to use a cast iron skillet, but my mom also used a 9-inch pot and that worked just as well.)
2. Add flour 1 Tbs at a time, mixing it into the butter until evenly distributed.
(I generally mix it in with a spatula)
Butter/Flour mixture should be doughey. 
3 . Add milk one cup at a time, mixing constantly to eliminate lumps before adding the next cup.
(My mom had the skills to use a whisk.  My white sauces were never really lump-free until I started to use a hand mixer to mix it all.  Hense the cast-iron skillet.)
4.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  The white sauce should taste delicious all by itself.
5.  Cube hard boiled eggs and mix into white sauce.
6.  Break toast into bite-sized pieces on each dinner plate.  Add sauce on top of toast.

Makes 3 servings (or one if you're me)

Prep time: 20-25 minutes